Quotes by Lao-tzu

“Seek not happiness too greedily, and be not fearful of happiness.”
-Lao-tzu

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“He who knows others is wise; He who know himself is enlightened.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“He who loves the world as his body may be entrusted with the empire.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“I have three treasures. Guard and keep them: The first is deep love, The second is frugality, And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the world. Because of deep love, one is courageous. Because of frugality, one is generous. Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“The best [man] is like water. Water is good; it benefits all things and does not compete with them. It dwells in [lowly] places that all disdain. This is why it is so near to Tao.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“The more laws and order are made prominent, The more thieves and robbers there will be.” -Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure. The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“There is no calamity greater than lavish desires. There is no greater guilt than discontentment. And there is no greater disaster than greed.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“To be worn out is to be renewed.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“To have little is to possess. To have plenty is to be perplexed.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“To know that you do not know is the best. To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“To produce things and to rear them, To produce, but not to take possession of them, To act, but not to rely on one's own ability, To lead them, but not to master them - This is called profound and secret virtue.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“When armies are mobilized and issues are joined, The man who is sorry over the fact will win.” -Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“When the highest type of men hear Tao, They diligently practice it. When the average type of men hear Tao, They half believe in it. When the lowest type of men hear Tao, They laugh heartily at it. Without the laugh, there is no Tao.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu

“When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty, There arises the recognition of ugliness. When they all know the good as good, There arises the recognition of evil.”
-Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu